1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to an apparatus for carrying out a crash test on a motor vehicle in which the vehicle is accelerated on a track by means of a driving device before it strikes an obstacle, and a data recording unit is associated with the vehicle.
2. Discussion of Related Art
In crash tests, measurements are performed of the behaviour of a vehicle in an intentional collision with an obstacle. The measurement data are picked up by data sensors and fed to a data recording unit. It is known to carry the data recording unit in the crash vehicle itself. The installation of the data recording unit in the vehicle requires a considerable expenditure of time. For crash testing vehicles of different types, different means of fastening the data recording unit are required. A further disadvantage is that the test results are affected by the mass of the data recording unit and of the necessary fastening devices. Moreover, as a result of the installation of the data recording unit in the crash vehicle, the center of gravity of the crash vehicle is shifted, thereby changing the result of a crash test compared with a crash vehicle having no data recording unit.
It often happens that as a result of the presence of the data recording unit, it is not possible to keep to the test weight and the prescribed axle loadings. One then attempts, by removing parts of the vehicle that are not relevant to the crash, to bring about a reduction of the test weight and a displacement of the axle load distribution, but this involves a considerable amount of work. A further disadvantage of mounting the data recording unit in the crash vehicle is that the data recording unit is not available for use until disassembly from the crash vehicle, so that the timetabling and planning the nature of crash tests is made inflexible. If the data recording unit is connected to stationary terminals via towing cables, this can also affect the crash vehicle with respect to the collision speed and a shift in the point of impact.